Setting the Scene

Ray and I have visited a bunch of National Parks on our nomadic adventure, and I have to say, they are spectacular! Each one showcases something amazing about planet Earth. From Carlsbad Caverns to Rocky Mountain National Park to Bandelier to Great Sand Dunes to Dinosaur National Monument, we’ve been well and truly wowed.

The writer in me can’t help but soak up these almost otherworldly places and somehow work them into my stories.

I’ve used real world settings to help inspire me in the past. For example, a few years ago I was asked to contribute to a horror anthology. The only problem – I had written one horror story in my entire career. I really wanted to do it, though. The theme was so cool, it was a paid gig, and I’d always wanted to tell a ghost story, so I said yes without much more to go on than the prompt provided by the editors. If this sounds stressful, it was, and as the deadline approached, things still weren’t coming together. I just couldn’t get a handle on my story.

Many things can contribute to a story that won’t gel, including weak character arcs, meandering plotlines, or erratic pacing, but for me, I couldn’t get a sense of the time or place. I was used to writing futuristic worlds, ones with cool tech and odd planets. The setting of this story was New England, circa 1900, and I simply didn’t feel it. Luckily, I attended a weekend wedding in a beautiful, old New England town. The hosts planned an outing to a historical village, the kind where the volunteers dress in period styles and go about the day- to-day work as if they were real inhabitants. I soaked up the sights, sounds, and smells, immersing myself in the culture and history of that time. Lo and behold, my imagination woke right up, and thankfully the pieces of the story began to coalesce.

As I’ve mentioned recently, I’m currently in the middle of drafting a fantasy novel. I’ve pictured several scenes happening amidst epic landscapes. My characters must traverse treacherous mountain ranges, take shelter in the high desert, cross sand dunes, and brave harsh seas. You can imagine the incredible inspiration our current real-life adventure is providing. Immersed in these various landscapes, I store the experiences in my mind to call upon later - the color of the sky, the scent of pine, the feel of ocean spray on my face, the bite of the wind, the mountain peaks reaching to the sky. These all leave an imprint, one I can use as inspiration to bring a vibrant sense of place to my storytelling. When I eventually finish this novel, you’ll have to let me know if my ‘research’ helped bring the tale to life!

IN OTHER NEWS:

Here’s a glimpse of our adventures over the last few weeks, from Denver Fan Expo to Dinosaur National Monument…